Government approves Santos Barossa pipeline and sea dumping

The Australia Institute Media Release   Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s Department has approved a…

If The Jackboots Actually Fit …

By Jane Salmon   If The Jackboots Actually Fit … Why Does Labor Keep…

Distinctions Without Difference: The Security Council on Gaza…

The UN Security Council presents one of the great contradictions of power…

How the supermarkets lost their way in Oz

By Callen Sorensen Karklis   Many Australians are heard saying that they’re feeling the…

Purgatorial Torments: Assange and the UK High Court

What is it about British justice that has a certain rankness to…

Why A Punch In The Face May Be…

Now I'm not one who believes in violence as a solution to…

Does God condone genocide?

By Bert Hetebry Stan Grant points out in his book The Queen is…

As Yemen enters tenth year of war, militarisation…

Oxfam Australia Media Release   As Yemen enters its tenth year of war, its…

«
»
Facebook

Speck, plank Malcolm

I’m not sure what to call Malcolm Turnbull’s latest spray at the Labor Party – projection, cognitive dissonance, gaslighting?

Malcolm Turnbull said Labor was in disarray, focusing on its ­internal problems rather than sensible economic reforms.

“They’ve not only got backroom buffoonery, they’ve got front-of-stage economic idiocy from their leader,” the Prime Minister said.

This from the man who knifed a sitting Prime Minister and who has been fighting a rear-guard action ever since.

This from the man who has allowed a fractured junior Coalition partner to take over, dictating policy and terms.

This from the man who hid the report saying Labor’s policy on negative gearing and capital gains tax would not cause great disruption to the property market but would slow the increase in housing prices and free up investment for more productive enterprises.

This from the man who set the Chief Scientist the task of solving our energy problems and then, not only ignored his recommendation for a Clean Energy Target, but exiled science from the Ministry.

This from the man whose Treasurer sees no point in economic modelling.

This from the man who has saddled us with a broadband that third world countries laugh at.

This from the man who, only a few years ago, decried the deteriorating political discourse and spoke of the urgent need for honesty.

An opinionated columnist costs less than a team of news reporters. It is so much easier to put one slanted opinion up against another than to investigate and objectively report on the facts of the matter.

Increasingly too the journalists who cover politics are drawn into the game – often praising politicians for their skilful use of spin, their cunning ability to avoid a difficult question or their brutal ability to misrepresent and destroy their opponent‟s arguments. Commenting on the play takes a lot less time than painstakingly pointing out where the spin has misrepresented an issue.

Malcolm Turnbull came to power saying Australians needed a “style of leadership that respects the people’s intelligence.”

It is obvious we are not going to get it from him.

Note: The title refers to Matthew 7:3-5

 

Like what we do at The AIMN?

You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.

Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!

Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.

You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969

Donate Button

32 comments

Login here Register here
  1. diannaart

    Malcolm Turnbull is making the old, old mistake (tactic?) which is even older than religion, he is projecting, a lot.

    Mr. Malcontent attempts not to see the farcical disarray within his own ranks and, instinctively, sees Labor – the target for all his impotent rage and ineffectual leadership. Plank meet lumber.

  2. democrat3

    I think our dear leader is projecting his issues onto Labor. I really don’t know why the poor man does not just pull the trigger and call a general election putting both himself and the rest of the country out f its misery.

  3. babyjewels10

    Malcolm Turnbull is what you get when you have a docile population more involved with the footie or cricket, Home and Away and painting their nails. When I arrived here in the early 70s, Australians had a belly full of fire, were nobody’s fools and tolerated social injustice badly. What happened to this population? Yesterday I posted this link on a community page of 58,000 people. https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/take-action-stop-more-attacks-welfare-recipients It describes how thousands of Australians are going to be adversely affected if this Bill isn’t stopped. It didn’t draw one like or one comment.

  4. Andrew Smith

    He’s been very disappointing, not sure if it’s a symptom due to holding off his own competitors in the LNP, or has he like other MPs become owned by special or corporate interests? Issue for democracy and leadership, when in power it’s about the nation, including those who didn’t vote for him.

    The mark of a true leader eg. Merkel in Germany, who is despised by Anglosphere conservatives, nativists, corporates and Murdoch (including apparatchiks) for her leadership on refugees, the EU and it’s trade agreement (nobbling some corporates of global finance, fossil fuels and media), is high approval by those who would never vote for her.

    It’s clear Turnbull has become a hollow man with no commitment for any long lasting or broad positive legacy; indicative of the owned LNP whereby they present as ‘sock puppets’.

    The only other justification one could possibly make is being led into the trap of allowing hollowed out and consolidated media then balancing act between monocultural and committed upper median age vote informed by traditional media vs. diverse and mobile lower median age vote informed via digital; the latter is dog whistled as they are more of a threat to conservatives and the status quo.

  5. Kronomex

    Trembles reminds me of the father in the film Dead Silence – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Silence (Wikipedia does have it’s uses sometimes).
    A hollowed out corpse with a ventriloquists stick in the empty space. The evil dead venriloquist in this case is Dutton with the other right wing nutters taking it in turns to make Turncoat mimic a real life boy.

  6. helvityni

    Thank you Kaye for explaining the meaning of the title…

    This from a man who expects respect from the population, but who is incapable of giving it to politicians on the opposite side…
    Being critical is of course OK, his childish mudslinging is not a sign of a confident leader…

    This man who likes to use the word ‘love’, does not understand its meaning….it comes across cringe-worthy when spoken by him…

    Self love…?

  7. Mike

    Yes Kaye, there’s a huge plank of arrogance preventing the LNP from seeing the world in any kind of kindly light. Hypocrisy WILL be their undoing. No amount of deceptive journalism will save them.

  8. Kaye Lee

    babyjewels,

    That link you posted should be published as its own article. We must all know about these changes and fight against them.

  9. helvityni

    Well observed Knonomex, LOL

    Andrew Smith, and no one talks about Merkel’s looks and her way of dressing…Gillard here was reduced to a large bottom and red hair… Strangely enough it worked …and we got Abbott, un-bloody-believable…

  10. Kaye Lee

    The astonishing thing about the Gillard big arse comment was that it came from Germaine Greer, our supposed champion of women’s rights.

    She has also criticised the #MeToo movement, describing it as “whingeing”, and claiming that women “spread [their] legs” for a role in a Harvey Weinstein film. This is the woman who chose to do a naked photo shoot. She also said trans women do not know what it is to “have a big, hairy, smelly vagina”

    I have lost all respect for her.

  11. Roswell

    Kaye, I don’t know whether you’ve ever had a look in Drafts, but should you decide to you’ll see dozens of mine that haven’t progressed past the title.

    Meanwhile, you pump out awesome posts as though it’s easy to do.

    How do you do it?

  12. Kaye Lee

    It’s amazing what I will do to avoid housework and Business Activity Statements 😉

  13. Glenn Barry

    Malleable Turnbull’s behaviour is a symptom of his complete lack of self awareness – that’s the cause, the hypocrisy is the symptom.

    I’ve lost track of the number of speeches and press conferences he’s given, awash with criticisms of Shorten &/or Labor, that would have been infinitely more relevant if delivered into a mirror.

    @Kronomex – I disagree, Dutton isn’t moving Malcolm’s mouth – the right wing drivel is all his, he’s never had any principles so there’s never been any self betrayal whatsoever.

  14. babyjewels10

    Kaye Lee. Agreed. This new bill, to be introduced on February 5, is major, damaging stuff which will create massive hurt in the community and is simply more LNP demonising of the unemployed. It will be interesting to see what Labor do about it.

  15. Roswell

    Therein lies my problem: I don’t do enough housework.

    Or too much of it! 😇

  16. Keith

    Years ago Turnbull talked about the need to tackle climate change; whether they were genuine comments (at the time) about his belief I’m no longer sure.
    The LNP can be thought of as the PR arm of the fossil fuel Industry. The LNP have signalled they are not enamoured by the introduction of electric vehicles. Also, the LNP are considering easing regulations on car exhaust emissions and fuel efficiency.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/25/stuck-in-first-gear-how-australias-electric-car-revolution-stalled#comments

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/26/curbs-on-fuel-pollution-ruled-out-in-favour-of-cheaper-options?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+AUS+v1+-+AUS+morning+mail+callout&utm_term=261953&subid=8641548&CMP=ema_632

    The Chief Scientist gave the opportunity to take heat off the climate change/energy matter; yet, the LNP did not take the opportunity to save face and support all of the Chief Scientists suggested strategies.

    LNP attitudes to negative gearing is very likely to be influence by the number of LNP politicians ( probably some Labor as well) who benefit from negative gearing of investment properties.

    An underlying strategy continually used by the LNP is divide and conquer; it is the people least able to defend themselves that are attacked.

  17. Kaye Lee

    babyjewels, as suggested in the link, target the crossbench. I can’t see Labor agreeing but they need help to block it,

  18. Aortic

    And the Coalition is not run by factions according to our patrician plonker. To actually stand in front of a cabal of right wing conservative nutters and apparatchiks and mouth that is one indication of how far removed this person is from reality. He has proved himself incapable of extricating himself from the grip of the alt right and will be forever remembered as one who placed the need to protect his position above the needs of the common weal.

  19. Kaye Lee

    Keith,

    Re the negative gearing thing – Labor said the changes would be grandfathered so wouldn’t affect current investors and would allow people time to change their investment strategy from property to other areas which would be of greater benefit to the economy. They also still allowed negative gearing on new properties which should have the effect of boosting construction to satisfy property investor demand.

    It’s a good policy and one that Malcolm Turnbull himself wrote about in 2005.

    “The Australian recently editorialised “.. our top tax threshold .. is far too low as a multiple of earnings. This in turn, distorts economic behaviour, sending honest taxpayers scurrying towards sheltering havens – such as negative gearing, a capital gains tax regime that was halved in 2000, or the 30% company rate – and skewing national investment away from wealth-creating pursuits, towards housing. The result- a property bubble” (The Australian, 19/3/05: p.18). ”

    http://www.knightmanagement.com.au/pdf/Turnbull-Tax-Reform-Paper-26-August-2005.pdf

    How things have changed, both with Turnbull and at the Australian which Chris Mitchell destroyed.

  20. wam

    Oh what a start to a day to read the sweetest 6 letter word in politics. It was used, to form a new party, in 1977 and the message, like the party, flourished then discovered that the media loves hypocrites, has a long memory and, like voters, has lost the meaning of the word.. Gillard, windsor and oakeschott but gillard was hijacked by bob and his greens and pilloried by the press leaving us wallowing in the rabbott’s nastiness displayed day after day as the morning shows lied as they vied for the adverts.
    SlimyX has the secret do wfa but appear to be an honest politician. He already has two pollies’ pensions, has been on a $75k job for the bloke who replaced him and will get enough wowser support to be the king maker on the way to his third pension. That may be too slow so he could take the queen’s rep way to a third or maybe make that the 4th

    Trumble took power from the suppository of knowledge and came to power with a “style of leadership that respects the people’s intelligence.”
    This he has achieved, with some success, by the help of a press and labor neither of whom wish to inform the people that their intelligence is being insulted?

  21. Terry2

    The coalition are in election mode and, of course, projecting your own policy shortcomings on to your opposition is a classic strategy.

    The more conventional course for conservatives is to give away tax breaks, not only to their corporate backers which will be the focus of the 2018 parliament but linking and binding those tax cuts into those now promised for the mums and dads of Australia. We now know that those latter PAYG tax cuts will be announced in the May budget and will be legislated as a package with corporate tax cuts, effectively wedging Labor .

    In one respect the Prime Minister is right, having taken the scoundrel’s way out by dropping policy altogether just to focus on handouts, he has kicked the ball very much into Labor’s goal area and it is now for Shorten to come up with some imaginative policies to grab the attention of the electorate ; inevitably I believe, Labor will have to grit their teeth and go along with the tax cuts and no matter how unsavoury it may seem this could mean allowing the tax cuts to major corporations.

    This is going to be a difficult year for Labor and progressives everywhere !

    PS: Seems Malcolm has new crowns – the dazzling smile is almost permanent.

  22. helvityni

    …and where is Turnbull’s often mentioned love, care and concern for our Indigenous people, he is going to be ‘disappointed’ (WOW) if we want to change the date of Australia Day to be more inclusive of our original people…

    Where is his love for asylum seekers, mentally ill, the poor pensioners, the homeless, the jobless…

    He speaks of gay marriage as if it was one of HIS great achievements; he delayed it and made it more expensive….
    Australian people were ready for it long time before…

  23. Andrew Smith

    helvityni: ‘Andrew Smith, and no one talks about Merkel’s looks’

    Although Australian NewsCorp journalists will and have attacked her integrity, i.e. Abbott’s mate Greg Sheridan…..

    He did an embarrassing enraged ‘dribble at the mouth number’ on The Drum few months ago, post German elections blaming emergence of AfD on Merkel for allowing movement of Syrian refugees (stopping bottle necks along the way). Meanwhile he did not have a word of criticism for AfD and their extremist views and lack of ethics, maybe because they are similar to conservatives in Australia, US and UK?.

  24. Keith

    Thank you for reference, Kaye.

  25. diannaart

    Terry2:

    In one respect the Prime Minister is right, having taken the scoundrel’s way out by dropping policy altogether just to focus on handouts, he has kicked the ball very much into Labor’s goal area and it is now for Shorten to come up with some imaginative policies to grab the attention of the electorate ; inevitably I believe, Labor will have to grit their teeth and go along with the tax cuts and no matter how unsavoury it may seem this could mean allowing the tax cuts to major corporations.

    Was it only 4 years ago we were being hit with Abbott’s “budget emergency”? Which meant cutting anything vaguely indicative of investing in Australia? And now, Malcolm can afford tax cuts to big business & some sugar for the middle class, but still going backwards on looking after everything that makes Australia a nation… just beggars belief and continues the inherent contempt by the right for anything perceived as “not right”.

    Sheesh.

  26. lawrencewinder

    I think it was “The Two Ronnies” where, as carpet cleaners they attempted to rectify their making a mess of cleaning an expensive Persian rug only progressively to make it worse and worse… their projection syndrome tactic has failed …many months ago … they are now just a farce looking for a bedroom. At least Barnyard found one!
    There is one thing good…. they are proving themselves utterly irrelevant to the nation.

    http://shanewombat.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/oioioi.html

  27. Jack Arnold

    What did Nelson say at Trafalgar when he put his telescope to his blind eye before the battle; “I cannot see any signal”???? I suggest that Muddles Turdball cannot see any sign of dissent in LNP ranks because it is behind his back and the signal for all the conservative politicians to plunge the knives into his back will bring more than an “Et tu, Dutton”? Thirty (30) failed polls is approaching and with it the possibility for a Double Dissolution election that will allow doubly disillusioned voters to despatch these self-serving self-indulgent wasters of Australian resources to the WPB of Australian political history

  28. Jack Arnold

    Diannaart, the overall business strategy of the multinational banks for the past 30 years has been to create sufficient sovereign debt to force sovereign governments to surrender prime public assets, like the Commonwealth Bank, Telstra electricity generators, electricity networks, water supplies, etc to the shareholders of these banks. It started with the small nations; Samoa was one of the first, when I think it was the Old Queen who refused to take any international borrowings because she believed that paying interest was usury and so anti-Christian and unwanted in her country. The US bankers organised an economic boycott and forced Samoa to take foreign money. This is the same strategy used by English banks until WWII, and was a cause of the Australian pain in the 1929 Great Depression, when Neimeyer claims that English debt in Australia was responsible for the economic woes of England. Naturally, paying for WWI was not a factor for the English. It also was repeated in the 1960s.

  29. Jack Russell

    The banks, the corporations, the governments – all colluding birds of a feather – and all know what happens to dissenters in their own ranks, so, no dissent – until the point of having it ALL to themselves. Then the really nasty stuff will begin happen as the 1%-ers tear each other to pieces fighting over the spoils as they have no idea how to share.

    We the people simply don’t matter to them – that idea is a convenient illusion.

  30. ozibody

    Indeed Jack Russell ! … ‘ Contempt ‘ is the Neo-liberal Mantra I ….. Their ” I ” and ” Me ” allows no place for ” You ” and ” We ” !

    Unhindered, the ultimate destination is a Vortex ! … ALL consuming.

    .Neo-lliberalism is far from stupid and the current Government will continue to notch up ‘ wins ‘ whilst they hold Power, …… then they go on to be ‘ spoilers ‘ to the very best of their ability when they lose Governance … Make or Break , is the order of the day.!….. relentlessly !

    . .

  31. Cool Pete

    I don’t like Malcolm Turnbull, and I certainly despise abbott, BUT, he did not knife the latter. The latter was heading to hell in a handbasket and a leadership spill was caused for and he won. I’m not defending Turnbull, though. The misogynist, racist nincompoop he replaced didn’t see his idiotic agenda altered one jot.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 2 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video, document, spreadsheet, interactive, text, archive, code, other. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

Return to home page